Anybody bothered by the fact that most games lately are sequels?

[dpatel]

Just looking at some of the hot games for 2005 and see mostly sequels. This is the same for movies. It seems like 90% of games and movies are either sequels/remakes of some sort. That doesn't necessarily mean they are bad but it is just kinda sad that there is little originality today.

Last Year(and some of this year) we got:
Metal Gear Solid 3
Halo 2
Grand Theft Auto: SA
Def Jam Vendetta
Star Ocean
Suikoden 4
Devil May Cry 3
Gran Turismo 4
Knights of the Old Republic
NFSU 2
Ratchet and Clank Going commando
Jak 3
Star Fox Assault

Big titles I can think of coming out 05' or next-gen:
Kingdom hearts 2
Killzone 2 (rumored on IGN)
Final Fantasy 12
Halo 3
Metal Gear Solid 4
Zelda
Midnight Club 3
Sly
God of War 2
Jak X
Ratchet: Deadlocked
Sly 3
Fatal Frame 3
Grandia 3

The only original titles that I can think of right now that either came out last year or will be out this year are:
Katamari Damacy
Jade Empire (haven't played it yet)
Fable
God of War
wanda and the colussus.

I like it when games like Killer 7, Ico, Katamari Damacy come along. They open doors to new types of games. Like when the first Dance/rythm game was released (I think it was DDR that started it), we had many more music games follow it.

It seems like nowadays developers tend to stick to the safer route of doing a remake or sequel of something people already enjoy rather than take a risk. This is mainly because when a sequel is announce, people will pre-order it without knowing anything about it just because it has Halo or Grand Theft Auto in it. While those different games usually tend to start out slow with sales then pick up gradually as word of mouth spreads.

Is anyone else bothered by this? Is seems to get worse as time goes on.

[Astinus Majere]

I don't mind it as long as the games stay good, but when the games get worse as thy come out(Suikoden) it bothers me.

[zionoverfire]

Yes, I've found other than a few favorites sequels are normally the same rehashed crap. But as long as they continue to be good sellers game makers will keep making them by the bucket load.

[maxflight]

this can't be helped. it's much less risky putting out a big name sequel. for many of these games, they could easily create a new character and change the world/environment a bit and it'd be a new game. however if they do that, they lose out on a good amount of name recognition from gamers.

[maddfrog]

The funny thing is that even the Halo series is based off another game Bungie made a while ago. Like some people say, this might be the beginning of an another video game crash.

What will the developers do when the series aren't selling like this used to? Good example to look at is the Mario series with Mario Sunshine.

[onikage]

It does bother me, I would like to see more originality. KD and Wanda and the Colussus are the only games you listed that have taken any chances.

[ohvermie]

Well with the rising costs to develop games, it's much more worthwhile for companies to re-use resources in sequels. Some companies are really good at that, look at EA pumping out games on an annual basis (how different is Madden every year anyway?). I guess with the upcoming new generation we will perhaps see an influx of new franchises. Afterall, this generation gave us ratchet and clank, halo, jak, etc. and a lot of those brands came while the current generation just started. I'm gonna toss in Stubbs the Zombie and Destroy All Humans! to the list of non-sequel games for 05 that should be pretty tight.

[dpatel]

It does bother me, I would like to see more originality. KD and Wanda and the Colussus are the only games you listed that have taken any chances.


You should also check out Killer 7 (GCN) if you are into games that are different. Don't know much about the gameplay but the style and premise seem cool.

[Apossum]

The end of a generation isn't a good time for new franchises...and there's always a rush of new ones when a new gen starts. just part of the rhythm.

[JSK414]

Sequels are some of the best games. They already hold a strong fan base (usually). So the developers are more inclined to make them. Generally they bring in a higher profit.

[thingsfallnapart]

<Katamari Damacy
Jade Empire (haven't played it yet)
Fable
God of War
wanda and the colussus.>

Katamary damact was original ill give that.

Jade Empire is NOT original, neither are fable and god of war, all 3 which have been done multiple times before in different ways.

now that wanda game, what is it?

[Icen]

This game looks promising and original:

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8016/Metronome-Announced/

[epobirs]

I doesn't bother me at all. If the original was good I'm inclined to want more. What I'd actually like to see more of is franchises with a future mapped out somewhat in advance rather a developer tasked with creating a sequel but unsure how to proceed.

It relates to how I've come to feel about movies vs. TV series. I've gotten tot he point of rarely bothering with feature films. If they're based on material I like as a book or comic series the movie is usually little more than a pale shadow largely due to time constraints. Short stories and novellas were once the primary source for screenplay adaptations but the publishing business is now such that few short stories are seen by large audiences. Science Fiction is one of the few genres left that gives much attention to the form. Many project slated for feature films with at most three hours of screen time would be far better suited for a TV mini-series or a series with a built-in endpoint, like Babylon 5 where the creator knew in advance what should happen over the course of each season and many seasons there would be at most. In feature films the Lord of the Rings trilogy has been the very rare exception but very few works are likely to get the monetary and artistic allowances of LOTR. More needs to be done within the budget of series television.

Likewise, episodicly produced games could be a winner for me if the keep the budget under control and provide an ongoing experience deeper than what we've seen to date.

[dpatel]

<Katamari Damacy
Jade Empire (haven't played it yet)
Fable
God of War
wanda and the colussus.>

Katamary damact was original ill give that.

Jade Empire is NOT original, neither are fable and god of war, all 3 which have been done multiple times before in different ways.

now that wanda game, what is it?


I didn't mean COMPLETELY original. Just something that is not a sequel, spin-off, or remake of another game.

[dpatel]

This game looks promising and original:

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8016/Metronome-Announced/

that sounds awesome. I don't know if they could make the whole game fun but it does sound like a cool idea nonetheless. They kinda had the same idea in Manhunt where you would use the mic but they didn't implement it as well as they could've. I thought in manhunt it would recognize certain words.

Too bad this is an xbox game :( Won't be able to play it.

[rocksolidaudio]

don't forget psychonauts!

[Kaijufan]

You forgot to add Pariah to your orginal 05 game list OP.
As long as a game is good it doesn't matter if it is a sequel or an orginal game.

[Trakan]

Final Fantasy 12
Zelda

You can't really call those sequels. If the game is enjoyable, I play it, sequel or not.

[road3283]

For your non sequal list: Advent Rising. From the previews at GDC it looks like they're trying to be a bit innovative with the gameplay.

[epobirs]

Stolen
Stella Deus
Enthusia Professional Racing
Darkwatch
Haunting Ground
Cold Winter
Outlaw Tennis
Fahrenheit
Juiced
Destroy All Humans
Flipnic
Raze's Hell
Resonance
Cold War
Indigo Prophecy
Timeshift

AFAIK all of these are not sequels nor derived from a media license.

It isn't that the industry is adverse to original ideas, it's just that anything truly unique is rare. This is true in all creative endeavors. It is a truly rare novel, movie, song, etc. that cannot be found to have a heritage in earlier works.

[ElwoodCuse]

Fine with me, as long they don't get lazy. This is the worst with sports games.

[Mookyjooky]

Fresh ideas dont sell in video games, just sequels...

Want to blame somebody, blame yourself...the consumer.

[FriskyTanuki]

Sequels to crappy games bother me, but when they're sequels to great games, then I don't mind since I usually want more from the developers.

[javeryh]

Nothing to worry about - pick any year in the last 20 and you could say the exact same thing. This has been the theme since the early 80s. It always looks that way because sequels get the most hype.